CH 38

Elena had been suffering because of him, to the point that she couldn’t even sit properly for a while without pain. Nevertheless, she never complained nor blamed Gareth. 

‘Why is that?’ Gareth wondered. He had made her cry and suffer in pain, but she would still lay beside him at night. Gareth wondered why once again.

‘What does Elena mean to me…? Moreover, what does a wife mean to me?’ His mind had been plagued with these thoughts ever since he had decided to take Elena home with him. ‘Obedience and submission. She was probably taught to obey her husband and sacrifice herself for her family while growing up. These things must have been embedded into her,’ Gareth thought.

The wind shook the torch more harshly than before. The fire burning the pieces of wood shook violently like a small lantern in front of the wind. Elena’s shadow, which showed that she was gathering something from the ground a few steps away from him, also shook harder.

Gareth realized the sight in front of him looked somewhat precarious, although he couldn’t understand why. He then recalled a conversation he had with her a few days ago. It was when he had searched through her belongings to find her clothes and came across a dagger.

* * *

“Have you learned how to wield a sword before?” Gareth asked.

“No,” Elena replied.

“Then what is this?”

“It’s just for self-defense…” Elena trailed off as if she were ashamed of being incapable of protecting herself.

“A mercenary’s wife must know how to protect herself,” Gareth stated sternly as he unsheathed the dagger and observed it.

“I couldn’t learn it because no one ever taught me.”

Elena came from a noble family. It was inconceivable for her to learn swordsmanship, even if her circumstances were forcing her to engage in unpleasant tasks. Gareth finished scrutinizing the dagger, then made Elena hold it. The small dagger didn’t look useful when it was held in her right hand, but Gareth decided that she would be able to defend herself to some extent during close combat if he taught her well, as she was a smart person.

“I’ll teach you a little every evening,” he said as he corrected Elena’s grip on the dagger.

“But you can protect me,” Elena replied right away.

A flash sparked in Gareth’s pitch black eyes as he spoke heartlessly, “I’m not someone who can always stay by your side.”

“But… I…” Elena’s voice dwindled. 

Gareth could guess what she was going to say next. ‘The husband gains the right to own the wife and obligatorily protects her in return,’ he recited this phrase in his head, thinking this was what Elena was probably going to mention. However, he was not an ordinary husband, and Elena was overlooking this fact.

“Start learning from today,” Gareth ordered with an austere voice. 

Elena remained silent with her head lowered. Gareth stared at the top of her head with cold eyes, then adjusted her arm once again. The biggest reason Gareth didn’t have a wife until now was so he could avoid having any weaknesses. He wasn’t confident that he would be able to stand by his wife and protect her. He couldn’t let another tragedy happen to his family. Furthermore, there was always a chance that he could die at any given moment. This was why he had decided to not do anything that could give him a point of frailty. He wasn’t going to let himself lose control and Elena couldn’t become his flaw. Family was a luxury to Gareth, yet it was going to restrict him. To avoid this, Elena had to learn how to stand up for herself alone and endure any hardships that come her way, instead of relying on him. She had to think of herself as her own person, just like Gareth did.

After that, Elena learned swordsmanship from Gareth without any complaints. She started out with the dagger and once she became comfortable with it, Gareth made her pick out one of his subordinates’ swords according to her arm length.

* * *

The wind shook the torch violently again. It was in a perilous position, shaking uncontrollably. Gareth didn’t know when it was going to go out. He felt as if he was the wind shaking Elena for a moment, then roughly shook his head to rid the thought. 

Elena, who had finished foraging for the herbs she was looking for, returned to the bonfire with Gareth’s help. Giggs had already set up the boar on a sturdy stick and was grilling it.

Elena washed the herbs using the water from the canteen, then rubbed it against the boar, being careful to avoid the heat emanating from the logs below the animal. She then sprinkled Giggs’ salt evenly throughout the beast. All eyes were fixed on her as if something magical was about to happen. The warm meat alone was enough to excite them, but it seemed that they wanted it to be as delicious as possible. Their expectations were finally met when they took a large bite out of the grilled meat.

After the meal, Gareth and his men began to clean and sharpen their weapons. Gareth reached out to Elena once he was finished with his longsword. “Hand me the dagger,” he said. 

Elena quickly unsheathed the dagger in her sleeve and handed it over to him. Gareth began to clean and sharpen the small knife without saying a word. Elena sat quietly in front of him as she waited for him to finish. Gareth glanced at her, and the corner of Elena’s lips slightly rose. As soon as he saw her smile, his jumbled thoughts finally organized into place.

‘With every word she says, she has been telling me that she’s my wife. That would mean that she was already being obedient and submissive to me.’

Gareth’s lips twisted into a bitter frown.

* * *

Act 5. 

Gareth and his men continued their journey for three more days. It was night again, and they were making preparations to camp at the foot of the dark forest, with the estate now a day away. 

Gareth called Giggs, Hansen, and the rest of his men over to him. He crossed his arms and looked back as if he was searching for something. He watched Elena for a moment as she prepared dinner alone, then opened his mouth. “We’ll decide on a title,” he spat out. “From now on, don’t call Elena madam. She’s just Elena.”

“That means…” The usually playful Giggs trailed off. Elena had finally been recognized by Gareth’s men. Her ointment was proven to be remarkably effective and the food she cooked was always incredibly delicious.

Even if everything were to be disregarded, the best thing now was to see her by Gareth’s side, wearing her characteristic faint smile.